Mast assembly and ground engaging support therefor



y 1967 c. H. GARRETTE, JR, ET AL 3,

MAST ASSEMBLY AND GROUND ENGAGING SUPPORT THEREFOR Filed Aug. 5, 1964- v2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v- 28 F/g./ w s H, /2 fi I I 22 E j I A F 131; l2 5" 26 4 l I30 3:5 I LIA? is I S 23 Fig.2

Fig.5 INVENTORS Charles H. Garrelre; Jr. H. Michael Ryan ATTORNEYS May 9, 1967 7 Filed Aug. 5, 1964 C. H. GARRETTE, JR.. ET AL MAST ASSEMBLY AND GROUND ENGAGING SUPPORT THEREFOR Fl .50 I

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I I 40 7 l 42 I I 60 I 0 48 56 62 Fig. 7 40 9 F Q v Fig.9

INVENTORS Charles H. Garreffe, Jr.

H. Michael Ryan ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,318,560 MAST ASSEMBLY AND GROUND ENGAGING SUPPORT THEREFOR Charles H. Garrette, Jr., and Harry M. Ryan, Richmond,

Va., assignors to Armed Forces Equipment Development Corporation, Richmond, Va., a corporation of Virginia Filed Aug. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 387,240 7 Claims. (Cl. 248-44) This invention relates generally to a portable base assembly and in particular to such an assembly which will support an elongated structure in :a vertical position. Although it is to be understood that this base assembly may be utilized to support many various structures, we have found it particularly useful when used in conjunction with a portable antenna mast which also is a part of the present invention.

Since the power of a given high frequency transmitter is quadrupled when the antenna height is doubled and increased by a factor of approximately 50 when an antenna is extended from a height of 8 feet to a height of 40 feet, it is apparent that an antenna of considerable height is highly desirable in a communication system of the above nature. Heretofore, to achieve this height, it has been necessary to erect an antenna mast assembly of a more or less permanent nature, which often required a substantial penetration of the base of the assembly into the soil and the use of guy wires or the like to provide support, which in turn amounted to a considerable expenditure of time and money.

As an alternative, especially when mobility and portability were desired, and it was therefore not feasible to support the mast in the ground, a mast of inadequate height had to be used which extremely limited the range of the communication system.

These problems become very apparent in situations which require that positive communications be initiated or terminated in :a relatively short period of time, as for example, in battlefield situations where reliable communications between a battlefield commander and his tactical elements often must be effected under pressing tactical conditions and often determine the success or failure of a given mission.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a portable lightweight base assembly which requires little maintenance, which is self-contained, which may be easily carried and erected by one person, and which may be utilized to support an elongated structure such as a portable antenna mast at a substantial height making it possible to erect said structure in a very short period of time.

It is another object of this invention to provide a portable .base assembly which, through the particular arrangement of the structure, makes it possible for one to secure the assembly in the ground with a minimum of physical effort.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description reference being bad to the accompanying drawings wherein preferred embodiments of the present invention are clearly shown:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the portable base assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is .a vertical sectional view of said portable base assembly with the auger and shaft retracted;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the auger head in an extended position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the auger head assembly;

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

I FIG. 5a is a perspective view of a portable antenna mast which may be used in conjunction with the present 3,318,560 Patented May 9, 1967 ice invention with the cap thereof being shown partially cut away;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view showing the connection between two typical pieces of tube of said mast in an extended position;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 with the exception that the tubes are in a retracted position;

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of a typical piece of tubing particularly showing the vertical guide track;

FIG. 9 is a transverse vertical section taken along the line IXIX of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the portable antenna mast assembly in an extended position.

Referring now in greater detail to FIG. 1, the reference number 10 refers in general to the portable base assembly which comprises an elongated tube 12 open at each end, and defining a plurality of holes 13a-13d which are located in a perpendicular direction to the longitudinal axis of said tube and hole 14 which is similarly located. Mounted on tube 12 are handles 16 and 17 secured to said tube by brackets 19 and 20, respectively. Mounted to the tube by chain 21 is an elongated pin 23 which is adapted to fit in the holes 13. Flange 18 is connected to the bottom of tube 12, extends radially outward therefrom, and is adapted to rest against the top of the ground in order to provide stability to the assembly. Slidably mounted within said tube is a shaft and auger assembly shown better in FIGS. 2-5. Referring particularly to these figures it is seen that shaft 26 is adapted to extend the full length of tube 12 and has mounted thereon a guiding means which is shown better in FIG. 4. This guiding means comprises upper disc 22, lower disc 24, which are secured to the shaft 26 by cross pieces 30 and 32. At the top of the shaft and extending perpendicular thereto is a bore 28 which is adapted to receive pin 23 when registered properly with any of the holes 13. The shaft 26 has auger blade 39 connected to it at the bottom portion thereof and is beveled at 27 for easy insertion into the earth. The arrangement between the holes 13, bore 28 and pin 23 is better seen in FIG. 3, which shows the shaft assembly in its full extended position. Bore 28 is placed in register with hole 13d and the pin 23 inserted therein, thus securing the shaft in an extended position. When the shaft is not in use, it may becornpletely retracted into the tube by merely removing pin 23 and sliding the shaft assembly upward, which position is shown better in FIG. 2. Also in FIG. 2 a better view of the handle means is depicted. It is seen that handle 17 may be pivoted outwardly from a vertical position into the horizontal position as shown at which time it will engage stop tab 20a, thus holding it in the horizontal position. This is also true of handle 16 which is shown in a vertical position, it being held in a horizontal position similarly by stop tab 19a. FIG. 5 better shows the cross pieces 30 and 32 which aid in securing the upper and lower discs 22 and 24, respectively, to the shaft assembly.

The operation of the portable base assembly is as follows. While being carried from one locality to another, the handles 16 and 17 are positioned in their vertical, inoperative position and the shaft assembly is positioned within the tube 12. This presents a very lightweight portable package which does not take up much space and which can be easily carried by one person. When a specific locality is reached where the structure is to be erected, the handles 16 and 17 are pivoted outwardly into their horizontal operative position. The shaft assembly 26 is lowered until bore 28 of the guide means registers with hole 13a of the tube and pin 23 is inserted therein. The operator simply grabs the handles and twists the shaft 26 and the auger blade 34 into the ground until the flange 18 is flush with the top of the earth. If it is desired to extend the assembly even further into the ground, pin 23 is released, the tube 12 is moved upward until the next succeeding hole 13b is brought into registry with bore 28. Pin-23 is inserted therein and the shaft 26 is twisted further into the ground. This procedure continues until the shaft 26 is buried into the ground the desired length. It may be noted that this method of positioning the assembly into the ground is more desirable than a method of originally extending the shaft 26 to its entire length or to the desired depth and then positioning in the ground due to the fact that there might be some bending in the shaft due to the long length and the pressure thereon, therefore making it very diificult to properly position it in the ground. After it has been positioned into the ground where flange 18 is flush therewith, the pin may secured in the bottom hole, 13d, thus providing a stable base in which any elongated structure may be inserted and supported. The structure to be inserted is simply placed within the upper portion of tube 12 until it rests against the top of the guiding means and may have a hole or more therein which can be adapted to register with hole 14. A pin similar to 23 may then be inserted therein to provide the proper securement. Of course, the shaft 26 does not have to be extended outwardly the entire length, but may be extending only partially, depending on the hardness of the ground, the height of the structure to be supported, etc.

As stated earlier, we have provided a portable antenna mast which is in the form of an extensible pole made of fiberglass, steel or the like, and which may be adapted to be inserted in the tube 12. This extensible pole is shown in FIGS. a-10, and comprises a plurality of tubes, 40 and 42 being depicted for the purposes of illustration. As

seen-in these figures, the tubes are telescopically slidable within one another, the top tube having a mounting means 44 for supporting an antenna or the like in any known manner. Cap 54, which may be made of any known material such as vinyl, is secured over the tubes when they are in a retracted position as shown in FIG. 5a and held thereover by bracket 56. Also dust cap 66 is provided to fit over the bottom of the outer tube, both of said caps being utilized to protect the pole from the elements such as dust, water, etc. FIGS. 6, 7 and 9 better show the [particular arrangementof the tubes in an extended posi tion, 'FIG. 6 showing the tubes while fully extended. As

seen, the inner tube has mounted within it a spring biased pin 46 which is held within housing 48 and urged outwardly by spring 50. The outer tube is provided with a hole 60 and guide track 62 so that when the tube is ex- 7 *tended pin 46 will s lide'in slot or track 62 thus keeping the inner tube from twisting out of position, retaining hole 66 in proper alignment with the pin. 'When the tube is extended to its full length, pin 46 will be biased outwardly Finto hole 60, thereby securing the inner tube in an ex- *tended position. FIG. 7 shows the arrangementrof the the portable base assembly, is shown in FIG. 10. It is again emphasized that any type of elongated structure may be supported by the portable base assembly such as telephone poles, road signs, flag poles, etc. all of which may be readily, easily and simply mounted by securing the base assembly to the ground and inserting the structure in the top thereof. It is therefore possible through the use of this base assembly for one person to raise or'lower an elongated structure such as an antenna to a substantial height in a very short period of time utilizing a minimum of equipment. Very substantial support for the structure is obtained which may be easily effected in open terrain Without the use of guy wires or the like, resulting in a mast or other structure that would be very rigid in construction and that will therefore be able to withstand wind velocities of a considerable magnitude or the like. There has been illustrated and described what is considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention. It will be understood, however, that various modifications may be made without departing from the broader scope of the invention as described by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable base assembly comprising a tube, a series of axially spaced holes defined in the walls of said tube, a shaft retractable into and partly projectable of axially spaced holes defined'in the walls of said tube, a shaft retractable into and partly projectable from said a tube, said projectable portion of said shaft being beveled.

at the end, an auger blade. mounted on said projectable portion of said shaft, an aperture defined by said shaft -registera'ble with said holes, a pin adapted to be inserted through said holes and said apertureto retain said shaft in a projected position, and a pair of handles pivotally mounted on said tube for applying torque to said tube, f

and a ground flange mounted at" the lower end of said tube for securing said assembly to the ground.

3. A portable antenna mast assembly comprising-a tubularhousing, a shaft retractable. into andpartly proinner tube before it is in its full extended position, pin

=46 riding in guide track 62. Guide track 62 is better shown in FIG. 8 and extends upwardly almost to the top of the .next outer tube. FIG. 9 simply depicts the pin 7 arrangement showing the tubes in an extended position,

pin 46 being positioned in hole 60. All of'the tubes will be similarly. arranged with the exception that the most inner tube will not have a slot,.and the most outer tube will not have a pin. a a

The tubes are extended successively starting with the most inner one and continuing to the next-to-most outer one. For example; tube'40 issimply moved outwardly" with'pin'46 thereof riding in track 62 until the pin reaches 7 hole and is biasedoutwardly therein thus securing the. 7 tube. It can thus be seen that the tube assembly may be raised to a substantial height in a very short period of time. After it has been raised his placed within the base assembly, which has been secured into the ground;

the'outer tube' of the extensible 'pole being placed in the tube '14 As stated earlier, a pin and hole arrangement jectable from one end' of said housing, said shaft having a ground penetrating portion, an auger blade mounted on said ground penetrating portion of said. shaft, 'means establishing a driving connection between said housing? 7 and shaft with the shaft in a projected position, whereby the shaft may be caused to penetrate the earth in response 7 to actuation of said housing, a plurality of telescoping tubes of varying diameter, a spring urged pin located on 1 all the tubes but one, an integral. guide track defined by' each tube but one, extending the length thereof and terminating at the end of said tube in an enlarged cavity,

said pin being adaptedto'ride in said track to maintain said tubes in a constant axial relatonship and to extend into said cavity tornaintain said'tubes'in an extended 7 position, and means tosecurethe outermost of said tubes i with respect to the other end of said housing. r 4. A portableantenna mast assembly comprising a tubular housing, a series of axially spaced holes defined inthe walls of said housing, a. shaft retractable into and partly projectable from one end of said housing, the

projectable portion of said shaft being beveled at the.

end, an auger blade mounted on the projectable portion of said shaft, an aperture defined by said shaft registerable with said holes, a pin adapted to be inserted through said holes and said aperture to retain said shaft in a projected position, a pair of handles pivotally mounted on said housing for applying torque to said housing, a plurality of telescoping tubes of varying diameter, a spring urged pin located on all the tubes but one, an integral guide track defined by each tube but one, extending the length thereof and terminating at the end of said tube in an enlarged cavity, said pin being adapted to ride in said track to maintain said tubes in a constant axial relationship and to extend into said cavity to maintain said tubes in an extended position, and means to secure the outermost of said tubes with respect to the other end of said housing.

5. A portable antenna mast assembly comprising a tubular housing, a shaft retractable into and partly projectable from one end of said housing, said shaft having a ground penetrating portion, an auger blade mounted on said ground penetrating portion of said shaft, means establishing a driving connection between said housing and shaft with the shaft in a projected position, whereby the shaft may be caused to penetrate the earth in response to actuation of said housing, a plurality of telescoping tubes of varying diameter, a spring urged pin located at the lower portion of each tube but the outermost one, an integral guide track defined by each tube but the innermost one, extending the length thereof, and terminating at the upper portion of said tube in an enlarged cavity, said pin being adapted to ride in said track to maintain said tubes in a constant laxial relationship and to extend into said cavity to maintain said tubes in an extended position, means at the upper portion of said innermost tube for receiving an antenna, and means to secure said outermost tube with respect to the other end of said hous- 6. A portable antenna mast assembly comprising a tubular housing, a series of axially spaced holes defined in the walls of said housing, a shaft retractable into and partly projectable from one end of said housing, the projectable portion of said shaft being beveled at the end, an anger blade mounted on the projectable portion of said shaft, an aperture defined by said shaft registenable with said holes, a pin adapted to be inserted through said holes and said aperture to retain said shaft in a projected position, a pair of handles pivotally mounted on said housing for applying torque to said housing, a ground flange mounted at the lower end of said housing for securing said assembly to the ground, a plurality of telescoping tubes of varying diameter, a spring urged pin located at the lower portion of each tube but the outermost one, an integral guide track defined by each tube but the innermost one, extending the length thereof, and terminating at the upper portion of said tube in an enlarged cavity, said pin being adapted to ride in said track to maintain said tubes in constant axial relationship and to extend into said cavity to maintain said tubes in an extended position, means at the upper portion of said innermost tube for receiving an antenna, and means to secure said outermost tube with respect to the other end of said housing.

7. A portable mast assembly comprising a tubular housing, a series of axially spaced holes defined in the walls of said housing, a shaft retractable into and partly projectable from one end of said housing, the projecta-ble portion of said shaft being beveled at the end, an auger blade mounted on the projectable portion of said shaft, an aperture defined by said shaft registerable with said holes, a pin adapted to be inserted through said holes and said aperture to retain said shaft in a projected position, a pair of handles pivota-lly mounted on said housing for applying torque to said housing, a pluraliy of telescoping tubes of varying diameter, an enlarged cavity formed in each tube but the innermost one, a spring urged pin located at the lower portion of each tube but the outermost one, each pin being adapted to extend into a corresponding cavity to maintain said tubes in an extended position, and means to secure the outermost of said tubes with respect to the other end of said housing.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,265,794 12/1941 Aske 52110 2,481,823 9/1949 Cejka 52110 X 2,603,319 7/1952 Dyche 52157 2,841,634 7/1958 Kimball 52632 2,980,456 4/1961 McMullin 287-58 3,256,655 6/1966 Teeter 52-155 X FOREIGN PATENTS 456,603 1913 France. 658,490 10/1951 Great Britain.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner,

R. S. VERMUT, Assistant Examiner,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,318,560

Charles HrGarrette, Jr.,

5 in the above numbered pata Patent should read as et a1 that error appear It is hereby certified d that the said Letter ent requiring correction an corrected below.

" insert projectabl line 35, before "portion d plurality Column 4,

for "pluraliy" rea column 6, line 24,

and sealed this 14th day of November 1967.

Signed (SEAL) Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attcsting Officer 

6. A PORTABLE ANTENNA MAST ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A TUBULAR HOUSING, A SERIES OF AXIALLY SPACED HOLES DEFINED IN THE WALLS OF SAID HOUSING, A SHAFT RETRACTABLE INTO AND PARTLY PROJECTABLE FROM ONE END OF SAID HOUSING, THE PROJECTABLE PORTION OF SAID SHAFT BEING BEVELED AT THE END, AN AUGER BLADE MOUNTED ON THE PROJECTABLE PORTION OF SAID SHAFT, AN APERTURE DEFINED BY SAID SHAFT REGISTERABLE WITH SAID HOLES, A PIN ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED THROUGH SAID HOLES AND SAID APERTURE TO RETAIN SAID SHAFT IN A PROJECTED POSITION, A PAIR OF HANDLES PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING FOR APPLYING TORQUE TO SAID HOUSING, A GROUND FLANGE MOUNTED AT THE LOWER END OF SAID HOUSING FOR SECURING SAID ASSEMBLY TO THE GROUND, A PLURALITY OF TELESCOPING TUBES OF VARYING DIAMETER, A SPRING URGED PIN LOCATED AT THE LOWER PORTION OF EACH TUBE BUT THE OUTERMOST ONE, AN INTEGRAL GUIDE TRACK DEFINED BY EACH TUBE BUT THE INNERMOST ONE, EXTENDING THE LENGTH THEREOF, AND TERMINATING AT THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID TUBE IN AN ENLARGED CAVITY, SAID PIN BEING ADAPTED TO RIDE IN SAID TRACK TO MAINTAIN SAID TUBES IN CONSTANT AXIAL RELATIONSHIP AND TO EXTEND INTO SAID CAVITY TO MAINTAIN SAID TUBES IN AN EXTENDED POSITION, MEANS AT THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID INNERMOST TUBE FOR RECEIVING AN ANTENNA, AND MEANS TO SECURE SAID OUTERMOST TUBE WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER END OF SAID HOUSING. 